BGMEA urges factory owners to pay half of March salary before Eid

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has formally instructed factory owners to pay at least 15 days' salary for March and the Eid bonus to garment workers before Eid-ul-Fitr.

The organisation has also urged factory owners to grant workers leave two to three days before Eid, where possible.

In a notice issued yesterday evening (18 March) to its member factories, BGMEA Secretary General Md Faizur Rahman referred to the decision of the 85th meeting of the Tripartite Consultative Council, which was held at the Ministry of Labour and Employment on 6 March to review the labour situation, wages, bonuses, and holiday arrangements for garment sector workers ahead of Eid.

Representatives from factory owners, workers' organisations, and various government departments participated in the meeting, where it was decided that garment workers and employees must receive at least 15 days' salary for March before Eid. 

The meeting also decided that workers' outstanding wages, bonuses, and all dues must be paid by the 20th of Ramadan.

The BGMEA secretary general has urged factory owners to take the necessary steps to comply with this decision.

February wage payment and  factory operations situation 

According to BGMEA data, 2,107 factories remained operational across Dhaka and Chattogram as of Tuesday.

Regarding wage payments, 2,022 factories have cleared February salaries, while 85 have yet to do so. Additionally, four factories are yet to disburse January salaries.

According to the labour law, factory owners need to pay their employees' salaries within seven working days of the next month. 

The situation remains under close observation as industry stakeholders monitor financial conditions and labour compliance across the sector, according to the BGMEA officials.

No factory was shut down under Section 13(1). However, six factories, despite opening, later closed for the day, either granting self-paid leave or due to workers leaving on their own, according to BGMEA data. 

In a separate notice, the BGMEA secretary general mentioned that government agencies have requested factories to stagger their workers' Eid holidays to reduce excessive pressure on roads, railways, and waterways on a single day.

Consequently, factory owners have been urged to coordinate leave schedules in line with production, shipment, and orders, where possible, granting workers leave two to three days before Eid.

Additionally, factory authorities have been asked to raise awareness among workers to avoid travelling on goods-laden trucks on the last working day, prevent overcrowding in transport, and refrain from accepting food from strangers.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) President Mohammad Hatem has advised factory owners to grant leave before the last working day of Eid if workloads are low.

"There is always shipment pressure before the Eid holidays. So most factories grant leave on the last working day. However, if any factory has the opportunity, we have requested that they grant leave earlier. We have also advised factory owners to discuss with workers and pay as much of their current month's wages as possible before the holidays, along with Eid bonuses," he said.

Eid-ul-Fitr is expected to be observed on 31 March, subject to the sighting of the moon. Based on this probable date, the Ministry of Public Administration has set a five-day holiday period from 29 March to 2 April. This includes a public holiday on the day of Eid, with the two days before and the two days after designated as government holidays by executive order.